


Staring Down the Pitcher

by voleuse



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-06
Updated: 2005-09-06
Packaged: 2017-10-04 10:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/pseuds/voleuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Stretch that lead a little further down the baseline</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Staring Down the Pitcher

**Author's Note:**

> Set during S1, no spoilers. Title and summary taken from Nancy Boutilier's _What The Cat Contemplates While Pretending to Clean Herself_.

Rory's much too early for Friday night dinner, but her physics lab ran long, and she thought she might as well go directly to the Gilmore residence.

Her grandmother's still at a DAR meeting, and her grandfather is on the phone with Tokyo, and Rory says she can just read a book while she waits.

The latest maid, Esther, shows her into the sitting room and offers her a cup of tea and a plate of cookies.

Rory thanks her, nibbles on a cookie to show her appreciation. It tastes like oranges and cinnamon.

And she sits back and reads.

*

 

But there's only so much Shakespeare she can read.

Really, Rory thinks, she appreciates _Romeo and Juliet_ as much as the next literature buff, but how many times does she have to dissect it for a class? Someone on the Chilton board wrote their dissertation on the bard, and now she's paying the price for it.

She shuts her book with as much emphasis as possible, and decides to go exploring.

After she has another cookie.

*

 

She climbs the stairs as quietly as possible, so as not to catch Esther's attention.

Rory doesn't quite buy into her mother's paranoia, but she has the same aversion to being followed by a conscientous and uninvited stranger.

She starts in the direction of her mother's bedroom, but at the last minute, she veers to the left. Pushes open a door that's been left ajar, and she's startled into a quiet, "Oh!"

The room is a study, but nothing like the heavy oak and leather of her grandfather's library.

No, this room is bright, and the desk in the corner is pristine maple. The bookshelf on the opposite wall has a floral design carved into its ledges, and it's lined with textbooks and Victorian novels. They all seem relatively untouched.

Rory inspects the desk more closely, finds a notebook filled with scribbles and curlicues.

She smooths her hand over the paper and marvels.

"This was your mother's study," Emily says from behind her.

Rory gasps. "Oh! Grandma!" She shuts the notebook with reluctance, smiles. "You startled me."

"I'm sorry." Emily looks around the room, and her lips press together.

Rory thinks she hears a sigh, but she can't be sure.

"Your mother is here," Emily informs her. "It's almost time for dinner."

Rory takes a long look around the room before exiting.

Emily shuts the door behind her.

*

 

"Hey, Mom," Rory greets as she skips down the stairs. "How was the drive?"

"I think David Bowie was tailgating me," Lorelai replies. "How was school?"

"Fascinating, as usual." Rory drops onto the sofa. "Physics lab was long."

"I never got along with science." Lorelai grins, and she slings an arm around Rory's shoulder for a quick hug.

When Emily exits to check on the meal, Rory leans over.

"I found your study upstairs."

"Yeah?"

"It's really pretty," Rory says. "I like it."

"At least one of us does," Lorelai responds, then quickly, "How's Paris doing? Are you guys gonna rumble?"

Rory blinks, and Emily calls them to dinner.

Lorelai doesn't look her in the eye, not until it's time for dessert.


End file.
